Hi Rich, I see nobody has answered your question... Have you managed to get an answer via other sources?

FWIW I think it might have something to do with the announcement date of the Adventure Island.

I seem to remember that the pre AI models did not have the moulded-in inserts to take the screws by which the AI akas are attached. Some time ago I was provided a replacement hull for my AI and I had to migrate all the aka, mastbase and internal strengthening components from my old hull to the new one, but the bars just screwed into the threaded brass inserts that were already built into the new hull. Had those inserts not been there I would have been unable to make the switch without some other way of attaching the bars.

I suspect that pre AI hulls do not have these inserts and that the hull moulding might also have been different - if I am right this would go some way to explain the restriction to later hulls only.

You could check your hull and see if there are some threaded brass inserts on the gunwales behind the mastbase and the seat... If they are there you may be good to go... If not this might be the missing link.

You are correct. There are not any fittings for the amas.the 06 adventure has the same mast reciever as my revo.I thought that the island had a bigger system for the largermast.Oh well. I have the sail kit and ama's on it now. I guessthey will due until I can afford a tandam island.

Yeah, the mast base is different but I expect the conversion kit would include all the necessary additional hardware... Except those hull inserts.

Anyway, to be honest you will get a whole lotta fun outa just the small sail as long as you have realtively light winds to play in... the AI is a whole lot wetter to sail on (and I mean VERY wet) because the additional speed generates a huge amount of spray, so I am more than happy just to sail at a nice easy kayaking pace using the small sail.

...do try it without the amas though - and get the daggerboard which transforms upwind performance -pull the drive, secure it and install the drivewell plug - in the right wind conditions this is, for my money, the best Hobie kayak sailing experience.

I do have the daggerboard and the plug. My main problem is the time of day I'mon the water. I really enjoy the quiet before all the jet skiers and power boatshit the water. I live in San Diego. So I'm on the water around 0300 to 0400.Nobody else out there then. I usually leave around 0900. Most of the time I take the revo out and fish and sail with what little wind I get usually 2 to 4 mph. I may luanch the adventure during the afternoon and head out the channel tothe open ocean and see how it does with a consistent wind.

I also have the 2006 AI. You cannot easily add the island kit. Without first making some serious mods to attach the amas and bigger sail. I had considered it awhile back. Ultimately, I opted for the inflatable amas (180.00 upgrade). I sail with the smaller sail. True the real AI will do double the speed, and is very very stable. However, I am content with the speed I can get plus I am not crossing the ocean so it is ok for me. I think rather than upgrade which costs around 1,800.00 you can sell the ai you have for around 1500 and invest another 2000 and end up with a new ai. I've seen them on craigs list for as low as 2600 used like a year old. Good luck either way.

Yes I have the sail kit and ama's along with the daggerboard.I also have a revo I use for fishing and sailing. Thinking of adding a jib to both just to see what happens.Next one will be a tandamisland with all the goodies.

Yes I have the sail kit and ama's along with the daggerboard.I also have a revo I use for fishing and sailing. Thinking of adding a jib to both just to see what happens.Next one will be a tandamisland with all the goodies.

I think I've read somewhere that the jib will not do much good, but you can play and see what happens. If you decide to go that route, please let us know how it went. Good luck.

Adding a jib can significantly improve light wind performance as I have reported on these forums many times (do a search; there is a lot of info in various previous posts from me and others). However there are some considerations to be taken into account. The following are my observations on adding a 1.8sqm jib to the standard sail on my Adventure:

1. It is for light winds only - it almost doubles the sail area and dramatically increases the boat's susceptibility to wind gusts - it is pretty easy to get capsized by an unexpected gust with almost twice the canvas aloft.2. the mast also does not cope well with the additional pressure from the extra sail area and bends like a noodle - this is most pronounced when sailing upwind (because the pressure on the sail is greatest on this point of sail). The mast could become distorted or even snap but the biggest problem is that the sails lose all shape on a bending mast and stop providing anything like the drive that they are meant to. It is much better to support the mast with stays (I use light spectra line) and if you do this the sail shape is vastly improved, even just the mainsail on its own, and the sailing performance improves noticeably. Depending on how you go about implementing your stays you may find that it cannot easily be done without losing any roller reefing ability you have with your mainsail - this is a tradeoff I have had to accept with the way I stay my mast to run a jib.3. Running jib and main is an order of magnitude more complex to organise and use, both on land and at sea. There is a lot more rope in the cockpit, there is a lot more potential for it to go wrong and, when it does, your ability to recover is reduced (see 1). On the other hand it is a lot closer to a 'real sailing' experience and the added complexity, sensitivity and performance provide another level of challenge.... for my money it is definitely worth trying if you can swallow the additional cost, cope with the additional complexity & risk profile, and you have enough light wind days to make it worthwhile trying.4. You can also add a jib to the AI rig. I use exactly the same sail 1.8sqm and while it makes little noticeable difference to the straight line sailing speed of the AI it does help get the nose of the boat through the wind during a tack (in stronger winds the AI, like many trimarans, has a tendency to stall mid-tack and get 'caught in irons" and it can be difficult to get out of this situation if you have pulled the drive out for that extra bit of speed without paddling through the tack or putting the drive back in for a bit of pedalling. The jib can be used to get out of irons by pushing the boat's nose downwind on the new tack.)

I finished the jib and added the stays. I was able to add the rollor furlling to thejib and retain the rollor furling on the main. I haven't tryed it yet. Right nowI'm working on a center board to go into the drive area on the revo. I'll tryand post pictures when I'm finished. I really don't know what I'm doing, butI enjoy trying. When I finish the sail it turn out to be bigger than the mainso I had to cut it down.Anyway, we'll see what happens when I hit the water.

For the updates I mean. It seems there's not much to be gained by going the jib route, more complexity, little gain if I read you correctly. The normal adventure sails well enough, and is much more stable with the inflatable amas. You have to judge the wind correctly. I'd think something like 6 -16 mph wind is doable, with 10-15 mph ideal. I was going sailing the other day, they had predicted 8 mph. When I went out, it was scary. That was because it was actually 18-20 with gusts 25+. Although the boat was quite stable, the wind actually blew me sideways, and the sail kayak was very hard to control. Bottom line, I didn't feel like I was safe or in control at all. I took the boat back to shore and called it a day. Probably one of my smarter moves I'd say. Still hoping for a day with the right wind/direction etc. to sail better. Thinking now I'd like the roller furler.

Without a leeboard you will find that there is a limit to how strong of a wind you can operate the regular Hobie Kayaks in and still expect to make headway upwind or even on a beam reach. This is one of the keys to the Adventure series, as those larger leeboards really make a difference over just having your MD fins in the water.

Do make sure you keep the fins straight down to prevent as much leeway as possible. It'll help some, but not entirely eliminate the problem.